The Secrets in Arrangements
by lostgirl14
Summary: Country boys don't belong in the city and Sebastian is well aware of that. But with his only chance to get a scholarship to wrestle in college he has no choice but to move in with his father's family. In a world where money establishes who you are, who you will be, and who you will marry, it won't just be him fighting to keep his head above water. ModernAU, Bash/OC, Francis/Mary.
1. First Encounters

Author's note: So this is my first fanfiction EVER. I'm quite excited to be writing it and I hope you will enjoy it. I do apologize for grammar and punctuation mistakes...I've never been good with the technical stuff. Contrary to my pairing of Bash and an OC I'm actually a huge fan of Bash and Mary in the TV show. I do not claim Reign or any of its characters.

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**The Secrets In Arrangements**

Chapter 1-First Encounters

_This is ridiculous._ Bash thought as he lay on his bed. Actually, as he lay on his newly acquired bed. Even in his irritated mood, the overly padded mattress did nothing to help calm him as he replayed the events that lead to him moving in with his father, stepmother Catherine, and half brother Francis.

Sebastian Rousselle. Standing about five foot eleven, Sebastian, or Bash as he preferred to be called, found himself to be somewhat attractive. His light blue eyes usually hidden underneath his messy dark brown hair made for a mysterious look while his brash attitude seemed to appeal to the ladies. However, that's normally where the complements ended. Bash, himself, was a product of a married man and his mistress, which obviously didn't sit well with his bitter stepmother. Growing up with his mother, they lived in a small apartment in Billings, Montana, far away from the rest of the world. She worked full time at a bank and he attended a small public high school. Bash quite enjoyed the country life; hunting, fishing, and riding horses were just a few of his passions. But wrestling was by far his favorite, and also what got him into his current situation.

His junior year of high school had ended with him turning eighteen and taking first at the state wresting meet. Bash hoped that senior year would bring him another state championship, along with a college scholarship but his mother had different ideas. She feared that a small town school would only limit his possibilities for colleges and with her salary he needed a good scholarship, so she did the one thing Bash didn't ever see coming: she sent him to Chicago to live with his father.

_New city, new school, new friends, new family..._ Bash listed all the things to himself as he uncomfortably rolled on the bed. Sure he didn't hate his dad, he had called all the time, kept up with his life, and even sent him gifts. Problem was the first time he had physically seen his father in about ten years was a week ago when he had flew into O'Hare Airport, only a suitcase and backpack in hand. It was an awkward meeting, not really something you would see between a father and son, but at least his father was trying. His stepmother was a different story though. Catherine went absolutely livid upon his arrival, truth be told part of Bash found this slightly entertaining. Apparently she was in denial about her husband's bastard son, as she frequently says, actually moving in with them. The only eye contact they actually had made it perfectly clear that she wasn't going to make his life here easy. His half brother Francis, on the other hand, was overly friendly probably due to the fact that he had pretty much been an only child. Bash remembered meeting him only once or twice when they were children. And now, this was his new family...or whatever else you want to call it.

Bash slid off the bed needing to get out of the house. _Francis probably gets lonely in this giant house by himself._ Which wasn't hard to believe, the house was more like a mansion than a family home. Six bedrooms maybe? Three or four baths? Spacious kitchen, large foyer, grand dining room and that was only part of the inside. The three bedroom apartment back home had seemed like luxury, this though was a little too ridiculous for his comfort. He slipped out his door and down the stair as swiftly as possible, hoping to avoid any encounters.

"Bash? Are you going out?" He had almost made it to the front door before he heard his little brother. It sounded a little weird hearing his name come out of Francis's mouth, not that he didn't like it but it just sounded like Francis was trying so hard to become brothers that "Bash" seemed a little forced.

"Yes, I was just going for a walk or something, needed some air," Bash didn't know what else to say, he needed out of the house but it wasn't like he had a car to take him anywhere and the thought of strolling around the lavished neighborhood made him a little sick. Francis picked up on the hesitation.

"Why don't we take my car and maybe grab some food?" Francis offered hopefully. Honestly, it didn't seem to like a bad idea at all.

"Sure, what's good around here?" Bash finally noticing he hadn't eaten all day.

"Ever had White Castle?" Francis asked excited that Bash so easily agreed and when Bash shook his head his little brother just pointed to the car eagerly. Bash chuckled to himself a little, maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all: forming a relationship with his half brother might turn out to be one of the few things that will keep him sane here.

* * *

Lunch was unexpectedly nice, turns out the place Francis had chosen was a popular fast food joint, not something Bash expected from his overly dressed little brother. Francis' plan to put Bash at ease worked, cheap restaurant and pointless guy talk calmed him down a little, Bash thought to himself as he got out of Francis' BMW.

As they reach the front door Francis' carefree tone shifted a little, "I didn't mention this earlier but we're having dinner tonight with my...our dad's friend." Francis tried to catch the slip up before Bash noticed. "We will be meeting him and my mom at the Devereaux's residence," Francis' eyes flashed to Bash's wardrobe, "You might want to change into dinner clothes before we go."

Bash looked down at his old T-shirts and workout shorts, he definitely needed to change but thinking about it now, he didn't know if he even owned anything that fancy.

"What exactly is this dinner for?" deciding to worry about his clothes later as he stepped through the threshold into the foyer.

"It's kind of a business dinner." Bash raised his eyebrow to the obvious conflict in his brother's voice. "Well...it's hard to explain fully but the only thing you need to know is that tonight's dinner is about my engagement to Bart Devereaux's daughter," Francis managed to blurt out quickly.

"What?..." Bash halted in complete shock. "What are you talking about?! You're sixteen and how is this even in the category of 'Business Dinner'?"

Francis just signed as he looked at the confusion in Bash's face. "I'll be 17 next month. Plus it's nothing big really... both our grandfathers started businesses that grew into large profiting companies. To ensure that both companies stay within the family and continue their partnership it was decided that Lexi and I were to marry,"

"Aren't arranged marriages a little outdated?" Bash half-heartedly joked, still trying to digest everything. He had an odd feeling that his brother wasn't giving him the full story but by the tense look on his face it didn't seem like he was going to elaborate anymore.

"It's whatever," Francis mumbled and he pushed past Bash to the staircase. He made it half way before turning back, "Jeans and a dress shirt will do just fine for tonight."

* * *

Even in jeans and a dress shirt Bash still felt under-dressed, he wasn't going to show his discomfort though. He rolled the sleeves slightly and left his hair just messy enough to irritate Catherine. The car ride to the Devereaux's was short, he couldn't get much conversation out of brother either. When the car finally came to a stop Bash just shook his head, he had been transported from one mansion to another equally ridiculous mansion. _I wonder what kind of rich, spoiled brat my brother is engaged to._ He thought to himself and he shut the car door. Francis rang the doorbell but turned to Bash for one last remark.

"Don't let her looks fool you." This left Bash confused.

As if on cue the door opened and there stood a young boy, probably fourteen or fifteen. Instead of greeting Francis and Bash he just turned walked back toward what was probably the living room. Definitely not the friendliest kid, Bash thought, Francis walked inside unamused which probably meant that this wasn't something new.

"Alexandria, stop arguing with me, we are going to have a nice dinner with the Mercier's, you will be present and you will behave!" was the next thing Bash heard.

"But seriously mom, it's not like I even want to do this, can't you just pretend I'm sick or I have practice? Something! Anything but making me sit through this dinner!" After a minute of no reply Bash heard a frustrated noise and then angry footsteps. Bash prepared himself for whatever was coming next. The girl stomped out of the hallway and Bash's breath caught in his throat for just a second. He definitely didn't expect to see what he did standing in front of them. She turned towards them, slender body, light skin, long blonde hair pulled back; the curls still long enough that they draped over one of her shoulders. The light blue sun dress she wore clung to all the right places and as his eyes made their way up to her face, he caught her eyes. A deep blue. As he stared he did the only thing he think of; he smiled. Obviously that was the wrong gesture because her eyes turned dark with a glare and as if she didn't care that they heard her, she spun around and headed right up the stairs without a word.

"Told you" Francis let out the comment with irritation. It was apparent she really didn't care that we had heard the argument.

Bash didn't know what to say, the only thing that ran through his mind were those blue eyes: eyes that looked like they held a lot more than Francis, or the world knew. But he would keep that thought to himself.


	2. Night Sky

Chapter 2 - Night Sky

Lexi made it to the top of the stairs before she let out an exhausted breath. She didn't like fighting with her mom but she didn't like getting forced into this dinner, engagement for that matter. Apparently in her moment of rage she didn't hear the door bell ring, which would explain why she was surprised to find Francis already standing in the foyer before she could make it to safety. She wasn't going to let him see her off guard so she acted as if she meant for him to hear the argument.

That's when she notice the pair of eyes next to him staring at her. _Great, someone else now thinks I'm a bitch._ But when she met the eyes of the boy standing next to her _fiance_ he just looked at her and smile. A beautiful smile from a blue eyed boy. Before she even knew what she was doing she was up the stairs.

"I'm sorry about my daughter she isn't feeling well," she heard her mom lie, though by now it was pointless. She decided to give herself ten minutes in the bathroom to cool down before she returned, as much as she didn't want to, her dad and Henry would be there soon. It wasn't worth the fight.

The ten minutes were finally up so she patted her cheeks and drug herself back down the stairs, just in time too she thought. The front door opened and in walked her dad followed by Henry and his wife Catherine.

"There's my beautiful daughter," she met her dad with a hug, he was still her father, regardless of what he was putting her through. Henry gave her a warm smile as she said hello and Catherine nodded her head curtly. Oh, how she never wanted to become like that woman; rude, arrogant, and the only thing she valued was money, well maybe her son too.

"Just getting ready for dinner," she did a twirl in her new dress as her mom came in to say hello. An apology flashed across her mother's face as they made eye contact. She understood her mom couldn't do anything about the situation, that only killed her hopes more.

They all took their places at the long dinner table, Francis to her left and the boy who turned out to be Francis' half brother sat across from her. Lexi made it a point to create as much tension between her and Francis as possible, only then did she realize the other rifts in the room. Her and Sebastian were placed in the middle, on either side of the table. Sebastian's stepmother to his right and oh god, she was far from happy about being seated next to her husband's bastard son. At either end of the table sat her father and Henry, not to be fooled though, her and Francis were engaged for business reasons, it had nothing to do with whether the two men liked each other; which they didn't. But business men know how to keep face.

"Dad, they posted the rooster for the football team today and guess who made it?!" Her little brother, Cooper, gleamed on the other side of Sebastian.

"So is it Varsity or JV?" was the reply that came from her father.

"Well...JV...but the coach said if I played well I could move up for the state tournament." She felt a little sad, her brother was only a freshman, she herself played JV basketball at that age.

Her mother finally jumped in, "Well I'm very proud of you."

"Alexandria how is basketball going?" The question came from Henry and she paused for a moment, she knew he didn't care because when she was married to Francis basketball, college, none of that would be in the picture. She answered anyways.

"Extremely well, the girls have been working hard this summer. We have a few scrimmages before the actual season starts but the team is pretty set in stone," As she talked about the coming year she could feel eyes burning into her. Out of the corner of her eye she caught Sebastian staring, this made her a little uncomfortable until she realized that he was completely engrossed in what she was saying. His eyes showed nothing but interest, more than anyone at the table, especially more than her so called fiance.

"I think it's time for some dessert!" her mom's statement brought her back to real life. Trapped between this boy he wouldn't stop staring and her fiance who could care less, she needed to get out of the room.

"I totally forgot I need to call Rebecca about something coach needed, I'll be back in a couple minutes!" before anyone could argue with her she was out of the room. Taking the stairs two at a time she made it to her room, with a hop she landed on her soft bed. Reaching for her cell phone that was on the night stand she decided to text her best friend, Rebecca, about her dinner, as promised. She made it half way through the text before she heard footsteps in the hallway. They stopped just before her door, curiosity getting the best of her she got up and peaked around the corner. There was Sebastian, just standing there staring at some pictures that hung on the wall.

"Snooping around is impolite you know," Lexi, finally stepping out of her room.

"Your mom sent me up to this bathroom, the pictures just caught my eye," he said without looking away. The picture that had caught his eye was one of her family on vacation in Mexico, probably four or five years ago.

"The other boy in the picture is my older brother, Matthew, he's three years older than me," she found herself explained without realizing it.

"I was actually wondering who the girl with the ugly pink swimsuit and braces was," he finally turned with a smirk on his face.

She probably should of taken offense to his comment but she found him quite intriguing, "I'll have you know all my friends were jealous of that pink suit."

"Yet you can't come up with a comeback for the braces," his smirk not fading but he continued before she could reply, "Your brother doesn't live here I assume."

A slight twinge of sadness crossed her face and Sebastian's smirk was gone, "He left right after he graduated, he didn't want anything to do with the company. My father assumed he would follow in his footsteps so you can image his anger when my Matt walked out."

Sebastian automatically understood that walking out meant breaking ties with his family, "I'm sorry."

"It's quite ok, I have my ways of talking to him," she smiled, "He goes to school in Montana, plays college football actually, and last I heard was very much in love with his girlfriend." she felt a pang jealous as the last words left her mouth.

"I actually grew up in Montana, its a good choice," he replied to her surprise.

"I hear you can see the most beautiful night skies there, stars as far as the eye can see..." the thought just slipped out of her mouth before she could catch it. She started to worry that Sebastian would think it was a strange comment.

"Definitely the most beautiful," he replied and when she looked up from the picture she had been focused on she could see that Sebastian's eye had been on her the whole time.

"You're-" before she could comment her mother called from down the stairs.

"Lexi get off the phone and come join us. We have some things we need to discuss"

"Yes, mother!" she turned back towards Sebastian, "We will have to save this conversation for other day then, Sebastian," she was headed for the stairs when his hand reached for hers.

"You can call me Bash, Lexi," his smile widened as her name rolled off his tongue.

"If you wish." Lexi, still caught by Bash, leaned in a little and spoke with a soft voice, "but I do quite like the name, Sebastian." She had caught him off guard, _good_, letting out a small giggle she turned for the stairs leaving Sebastian in the hallway speechless.

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I hope you guys enjoyed the first two chapters, I'll will be introducing more characters as I go! Again, I apologize for any mistakes and any reviews would be wonderful :)


	3. New School

Chapter 3 - New School

For the next three days all he could think about _her_, her blonde hair, her blue eyes, her soft voice saying his name..._God damnit_. He was losing his shit. Over a girl he didn't even know. Over a girl who was his brother's FIANCE. But there was just something about her, more than just her beauty, which was intoxicating enough. There was depth there, he could see it in those blue eyes. Francis only saw what he wanted to see, which was a hard to handle girl. _Hell if I was being forced into getting married I would be a little more than hard to handle,_ he thought to himself as he remember the fire in her angry eyes. The way she talked about basketball was a whole other story, her face just lit up and the enthusiasm was actually cute. If Francis would have looked up at her face he would have seen it too, but somewhere inside Bash was happy he didn't.

Looking at the clock that read "7:00AM" he sighed and finally pushed himself out of bed. First day of school. Joyous. The only thing that he actually looked forward to was practice after school. His father had pulled some strings and managed to get him a secure spot on the team. Not that he needed much help, the tapes from last season and his state medal were already rather convincing. Now all he had to do was beat out the guy in his weight class and he could start looking forward to the season.

He slipped into his jeans and threw on a wrestling shirt from his old school. He grabbed the keys on his desk that belonged to the red Dodge Ram out front, it was about ten years old and got horrible gas milage, but never the less a truck he felt comfortable with his father buying him. Catherine had been furious about his father's gift until she realized this meant less roaming around the house with nothing to do. Causing Catherine to fly into fits of rage was becoming quite entertaining, especially since his father would just brush her off.

As soon as he reach the school parking lot he almost wished he hadn't come. The rich kid cars were just lined up; Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Porsche, Ferrari, even a couple Lamborghinis... They filled the parking lot. He managed to find an open spot further away from the expensive cars, god forbid some one try to blame him for a scratch or dent on a car.

The secretary in the office gave him his schedule and pointed him towards his locker. He had about ten minutes before class started. He was at his locker when he felt a hand grab his shoulder. He turned to see his brother and what seemed to be a couple friends.

"Looks like you're finding everything ok, I wanted to introduce you to my friends," Francis pointed to each one of them as he introduced them.

Bash didn't bother remembering their names, they came off as a little cocky, something about sophomore guys that he didn't particularly care for. Bash noticed that Francis' eyes had caught something down the hall as his friends took over the conversation, glancing in the same direction he spotted what it was that probably had his little brother's attention. A girl of course. Her dark hair fell in waves which complemented her fair complexion. She was skinny but definitely fit, and by the nature of girls she was surrounded by he assumed she probably was a cheerleader. Honestly, he had to admit she was extremely attractive, however, his mind was currently preoccupied with someone else. Bash saw the girl glance towards Francis when the thought finally occurred to him, he didn't know if being faithful was part of the engagement for Francis and Lexi, or not. Even though he couldn't get anymore information out of his brother he knew the arrangement was solid. How many other people even knew of the engagement? Before his mind could conjure up anymore questions the bell interrupted his thoughts.

_"Calculus I"_ was what was written in the first period time slot. Bash was good at math, hell he could do it in his sleep, but because he didn't quite care for school he just brushed by with all the other students in his previous school. He entered the classroom and took a seat closest to the window, if he had to sit through this class he might as well have a nice view.

"Is this spot taken?" Bash looked up for his backpack knowing exactly whose blue eyes he would meet. Alexandria.

"Yes and it seems that she has just arrived," he grinned at her. Her innocent laugh made his heart skip a beat.

She took her seat only for him to remember that this was calculus, "What is a little sophomore doing in this class anyways?"

"What, a girl can't have looks and brains?" she joked back, but the lightness of the comment made Bash realize that she didn't particular believe it herself.

He leaned in a little as the class was now full of students talking about summer adventures and whispered, "Well cute little sophomores should be more careful about who they decide to flirt with."

He heard a gasp and Lexi's face took on a shade of red. "Well you're cheeky," she managed to blurt out before the teacher called the class to attention. The rest of the class flew by with Bash learning two things: Lexi's fragrance of choice was lilies and she was definitely as much aware of him as he was her.

* * *

Lexi kept eyeing the clock, she fruitlessly tried to wield the minute hand to move faster. Not only had Bash accused her of flirting with him, which was maybe a little bit true, there was no way she was retaining anything the teacher was scribbling on the board; not with Bash within inches of her. The bell finally rang and she was on her feet as quick as possible. Of course Bash was just as fast.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" he asked falling in step behind her.

"I need some stuff out of my locker before the next class." she couldn't come up with anything better, although she did remember she had left her water bottle there. Which was good since it looked like he was going to follow her the whole way. Almost to her locker Lexi turned around to say something when some guy cut in front of her. She lost her balance just long enough to fall back into Bash's chest.

"I'm sorry, the halls get a little crowed during passing time," she said gently pushing off him. _Yep. Those would definitely be muscles._ Not that she didn't expect it from a wrestler but still, now that she knew it for fact her mind was not a safe place.

"Heyyy, Lexiii!" was what they heard before Bash could make any comment about her current facial expression.

"I'm almost 100% sure we have French together nex..." Rebecca trailed off when she realized her friend wasn't alone. A mischievous smile spread across her face, "So you must be the half brother, Sebastian Rouselle."

Bash turned to Lexi with an accusing smirk before Rebecca jumped back in, "The whole school is talking about you, illegitimate son of Henry Mercier, half brother of Francis, Montana state wrestling champion, and official hottie." Lexi's mouth almost hit the floor. If there was one thing Rebecca loved, it was gossip. She knew everything about everyone. Unfortunately, being subtle wasn't a characteristic she possessed.

"Bash, this is Rebecca Roberts," Lexi introduced her with a glare. Rebecca ignored it.

"Official best friend of Miss Alexandria Devereaux." Rebecca chimed in. Rebecca stood a couple inches taller than her 5'5" friend, and by the way her body was toned she obviously liked to get physical on the basketball court. Her deep burgundy hair fell just beyond shoulder length, tan skin and feisty personality fit the color perfectly. Spicy with a bark just as bad as her bite.

"Well it is a pleasure meeting a friend of Lexi's, I hope I get the chance to visit longer next time," the comment directed towards Rebecca but his attention was kept on Lexi. "But I need to get to class, you ladies have a wonderful day." Bash bowed with a smile and walked away.

"Mmmm, he could pin me down any day," Rebecca purred, she was now leaning seductively against the locker. Lexi smacked her friend's arm angrily.

"Really, I know you know everything but there are some things that you don't need to say out loud." she scolded.

"I was only stating a fact. Besides the whole school is talking about him. That definitely won't be the last time he hears it. And you..." her expression turning serious, "You need to be careful. You know how easily rumors spread. Not only is he illegitimate and for a lack of a better word poor but you are engaged to his brother."

"I know, I know, nothing was going to happen anyways." Lexi sighed. Rebecca was right, this place, her world, revolved around status and money. It was best that she not pull someone like Bash into it. He didn't deserve that, no one deserved that.

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Authors Note: Yay new characters! I think I quite like Rebecca and you obviously got a glimpse of someone who will be a bigger part of the story in the coming chapters, I'm excited for that. Sorry if it has been a slow start, the next chapters will have more development in them. Thank you for those of you who have been reading my story though :)


	4. Rumors

Authors Note: Since some of you were so excited about Frary I edited this chapter to include a little extra ;) I might do that more often, we'll see. Sorry for grammar mistakes but I hope you enjoy reading more, I'm extremely excited for the next couple chapters!

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Chapter 4 - Rumors

By the end of the day Bash finally had answers to some of his questions, none of which helped justify his intense attraction to the cute, blonde sophomore. After his first period his mind was too full of thoughts to notice any chatter around him. By the time lunch rolled around he walked into the cafeteria fairly positive that he would have to sit with his brother and his annoying friends, but the sight of the lunch table where his brother casually sat was something he did not expect. Sitting comfortably next to his carefree brother was none other than Lexi. His eyes automatically closed as if he would blink and realize that he was just imagining things. But no, when he opened his eyes to he brother's voice calling him, there she was, still right next to his brother.

"Bash, we saved you a spot," his brother yelled again assuming the look of shock on Bash's face was from the sight of the cafeteria; which far surpassed any public school cafeterias he had ever seen.

Trying to recover before anyone else noticed his reaction Bash took the seat across from Francis only to notice that he hadn't been quick enough. Although Lexi wasn't looking right at him, he could feel her glance from the corner of her eye: she saw.

Francis stood, "I'm going to grab another drink, want anything babe?" His hand placed lightly on Lexi's hip as he bent down a little to ask her. Bash almost jumped up, he didn't know whether it was shock or jealously or anger, or maybe it was all three, hell if he actually knew.

"A water would be nice," and there it was. The overly friendly smile, the high voice that didn't quite suite her; it was fake. At least he had to convince himself it was or he might have a jealous outburst. Over a girl that wasn't his. Who happens to actually be engaged to his brother... He obviously was losing his mind.

"You decided to shorten Francis' leash today, Lexi?," one of the guys joked once Francis was gone.

"It's called being a gentlemen, if you were one Scott, maybe girls would actually look at you," Rebecca suggested with a smile on her face. Scott's face dropped as he friends laughed.

"Maybe if my daddy owned a big company..." Scott mumbled angrily.

A girl next to Bash jumped in, "You're just bitter that Lexi turned you down in the 6th grade." One of Scott's friends almost fell of the bench from laughter. The girl turned to Lexi, "You and Francis make the most adorable couple and can you imagine how amazing it will be when the two of you inherit your fathers' companies."

"It's perfect actually, can you imagine if Lexi or Francis end up of commoners? It saves you from worrying about someone sleeping with you for your money," another boy added. Bash wanted to knock the smirk right of the asshole's face until the entire table nodded in agreement. It was another reminder of the world he had entered.

Not wanting to listen to anymore of this Bash stood up. "I hate to dip out but I must have forgot my schedule somewhere, going to head to the office and see if I can convince the cute secretary to print me off another one," he had a grin on his face and the entire table laughed, of course except for one person. Jealously and anger had gotten the better of him but it was too late to take back the comment now. He turned around to leave and for a split second he saw Lexi move as if she was going to chase after him, but instead she then turned to Rebecca apparently deciding not to. That's when Bash realized the distance between them was a lot farther than he thought.

The last two classes he had before practice he realized something he should have earlier. Rebecca was right, people were talking. His mind has been preoccupied that morning but now he could hear it. People muttering things like "illegitimate son" and "charity case". The guys snickered at his clothes and the girls joked that his looks would get him to bed but that was it. It was all loud enough to hear but Bash had prepared himself for it. However, that's when he heard someone in the back of the room say Lexi's name and he already knew what he would hear next.

"You mean this morning, Francis' fiance and his bastard half brothe-" Bash spun around before the scrawny kid in his Armani clothes could finish.

"I hardly find it scandalous that I decided to sit next to my future sister-in-law in class," Bash interrupted; the word "sister-in-law" stung his mouth but he had to grin and bare it. The scrawny kid looked down in the attempt to avoid any altercations while girls who had participated in the conversation grinned at his clever remark. Winking at them he turned back around in his seat. He wasn't going to let Lexi be part of their rumors just cause he flirted with her in class, he wasn't going to let them talk about her and a bastard son.

* * *

Lexi couldn't tell if she was more upset at herself or Bash, not that she really had a right to be mad at him... It was obvious that he had no idea what was going on, especially by the look he gave her while she sat next to his brother. She had made it perfectly clear at dinner the other night that she didn't want anything to do with Francis. But that comment, everyone laughed even though she knew who it was directed at and it hurt. She wanted to explain, she wanted to get up and follow him but what good would chasing after her fiance's brother do. She hated this, she hated pretending that she was happy, pretending that she loved Francis, that this was what she wanted: it wasn't. And it made her feel horrible.

She come back to reality when Rebecca nudged her, without saying anything she nodded in the direction of the drink bar. Her eyes shifted to what her friend wanted her to see; Francis casually chatting up a cheerleader. Lexi felt the anger start to boil over, Francis' public flirting could get them both in serious trouble. They needed to make this engagement look real, there were other forces at work that would make sure it would stay that way, even if that meant people got hurt. Their father's would make sure this wedding happens. This engagement wasn't just about the money of their families, it was about two, million dollar companies. She just hoped that Francis understood that as well.

Frustrated, Lexi got up from the table, probably more angry at the fact that she had restrained herself from confronting Bash. She used the bathroom excuse and walked out of the cafeteria. Walking down the empty hall she thought about the girl Francis had been talking to, Mary Stuart was her name. Lexi was a bit jealous of how gorgeous Mary was, along with the air of gracefulness she carried. Freshman year they had had a biology together, only spoke on a hand full of occasions but Mary had been sweet. Not like the fake sweet you get at a rich private school but a genuinely caring sweet. However by the standards of this school she wasn't overly wealthy, the girl's father owned a company that happened to work under her own father's. Because of her wealth status she wasn't particularly popular, though it did look like she was quite close with some girls from the school's squad.

"You know if you keep pacing back and forth like that people will start to suspect something," Rebecca's voice came from behind her. She turned to find her best friend holding her school bag out towards her. "I told them you had texted me that you weren't feeling well, figured you wouldn't want to come back to the cafeteria."

A half hearted laugh escaped Lexi's throat, "I honestly don't know where I would be without you."

"Probably chasing after the half brother," she accused, "I don't think anyone else noticed, but you really need to be careful."

"It's not like Francis is," she complained. Lexi realized she sounded like a child.

Rebecca sighed, "Everyone assumes he just likes to flirt with girls, they think it's just him being friendly. You on the other hand are not like that, step out of character, especially with your soon to be brother-in-law and shit will hit the fan."

Lexi face cringed at that word however the truth was just that. She brushed that thought away and decided to focus on a different problem. "I don't think Francis is just flirting with her," Lexi finally let out and even Rebecca couldn't argue with that.

* * *

_Three months earlier_

Only five minutes and it was be the end of freshman year. End of a long non-eventful year and the beginning summer: pool parties and fun in the sun. It would be a summer spent with girl friends, away from all the noisy gossip of the halls. Finally the bell rang and the torture was over.

"Mary, can you believe we made it through freshman year?!" was the first thing Mary heard as she was emptying her locker. She turned to find Kenna practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

"One year down, yet three more to go," Mary reminded her friend.

"Oh hush, let's not think about that till the end of summer." Kenna was unamused at her friend's lack of enthusiasm.

A voice come from behind Kenna, "I bet a nice pool day would help our Mary out." Greer smiled at her two friends. "Although I do believe that Lola and Aylee are unable to join us today."

"You'll have to count me out too unfortunately, I have work in thirty minutes," Mary sighed, a pool day would be extremely nice. She gave her two disappointed friends a hug before saying her goodbyes and heading to the parking lot. She found her old Lexus in the sea of expensive cars. She shook her head, why do high school students need such fancy cars? Her own father had offered to buy her something a little more showy but with the fact that tuition was already an excessive amount she didn't want to ask for anything else. Her little car was the one thing she could pay for herself and she liked that feeling.

Mary slid into her car and turned the ignition. The car made a chain of huffing noise before it died. She tried the ignition again only to yield the same response. She slammed her head against the steering wheel remembering that her father had told her the car would probably need a new battery soon. Getting out of the car she decided to call Kenna or Greer to see if they could give her a ride to work, she would worry about the car later.

"Do you need any help?" Mary looked over the hood of her car to see Francis Mercier standing on the other side.

"Well the battery seems to be dead," explained Mary, not knowing what else to say.

"I could give it a jump then," he answered going around to the back of his BMW to fetch the cables. Mary was a little surprised by his willingness to offer help. He was definitely at the top of the rich kids at her school, both in money and looks. Rumors had gone on all year about his engagement to the equally wealthy and beautiful Alexandria Devereaux.

"Do you even know how to jump a car?" her mind filled with concerned.

"Yes I do actually," he laughed at the expression on her face.

"I don't mean to offend you but I find that slightly surprising," she stated honestly.

He smiled as he attached the cables, "When I visited my brother a few years back he taught me a few things about cars."

"The sounds like the epitome of brotherly bonding," she paused after her giggle, "Actually I was unaware you had a brother."

Francis finally looked up and she noticed the blue in his eyes, "Most people don't know, he's actually a half brother but a brother non the less." He trailed off as he got in his car to start it, then pointed to hers. Her car was brought back to life. Mary hoped out of the car to help him with the cables, their hands accidentally touching.

"I must say this has actually been a great start to my summer," Francis declared, his smile obvious.

"My car would have to disagree," she joked and something about his expression made her blush a little. "But thank you very much." She said goodbye and was off.

Mary made it to Barnes and Noble in time for her shift. As she was stalking one of the selves a voice interrupted her thoughts.

"I was curious if you had any books about how a guy should ask for a girl's number," she couldn't help to laugh as she turned to find Francis. "And I really hope this doesn't look too creepy, just thought I should get to know the girl I helped out today," he finished with a slight tint of red on his face.

Against her better judgement and the warning signals going off in her head she proceeded to recite her number.


	5. AUTHOR'S APOLOGIES

**I am soooooo completely sorry to the people who are reading my story for not updating recently!** I was in Hong Kong during winter break with my boyfriend and I am currently trying to trudge my way through finals. However, as soon as finals are over I will have more chapters up! Thank you to everyone who has been following my story, it makes me extremely happy and I hope you are all excited for Reign to return, I know I am _ Gotta get some Bash and Mary 3


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